Anomalous electron mobility in a coaxial Hall discharge plasma.

Abstract

A comprehensive analysis of measurements supporting the presence of anomalous cross-field electron mobility in Hall plasma accelerators is presented. Nonintrusive laser-induced fluorescence measurements of neutral xenon and ionized xenon velocities, and various electrostatic probe diagnostic measurements are used to locally determine the effective electron Hall parameter inside the accelerator channel. These values are then compared to the classical (collision-driven) Hall parameters expected for a quiescent magnetized plasma. The results indicate that in the vicinity of the anode, where there are fewer plasma instabilities, the electron-transport mechanism is likely elastic collisions with the background neutral xenon. However, we find that in the vicinity of the discharge channel exit, where the magnetic field is the strongest and where there are intense fluctuations in the plasma properties, the inferred Hall parameter departs from the classical value, and is close to the Bohm value of (omega(ce)tau)(eff) approximately 16. These results are used to support a simple model for the Hall parameter that is based on the scalar addition of the electron collision frequencies (elastic collision induced plus fluctuation induced), as proposed by Boeuf and Garrigues [J. Appl. Phys. 84, 3541 (1998)]. The results also draw attention to the possible role of fluctuations in enhancing electron transport in regions where the electrons are highly magnetized.